svetikya Chapter 585: The Pricing of Void Space
Chapter 585: The Pricing of Void Space
The moment the final number echoed across the stone courtyard, Mary’s knees buckled. Her face turned a dramatic shade of ash-white, and her vision swam so violently she almost collapsed entirely into the dirt. Roy had to instantly extend his arm, grabbing his mother’s elbow with a firm grip to keep her from fainting right on the spot.
In her entire, grueling life as a struggling widow on the dangerous fringes of the city, Mary had never even dreamed such a number could exist within the mortal realm. To her, a few hundred low-grade stones were enough to feed her family for months; eighty-four million was a legendary fortune capable of purchasing an entire commercial district within the inner peaks of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion.
She stared at Ethan’s calm, unbothered silhouette, her heart hammering against her ribs as she realized that the young man resting beside her daughter wasn’t just a powerful cultivator—he was a walking, breathing kingdom of wealth.
The old appraiser wiped a thick bead of cold sweat from his forehead as he carefully rolled up the grand golden ledger. He exchanged a heavy, highly meaningful look with the azure-robed outpost captain before turning back to Ethan, his posture dropping into a posture of profound, almost submissive respect.
"Master Ethan," the appraiser began, his voice lowered into a tense, confidential whisper. "Because the total sum of your bounty is so astronomically massive, our local outpost simply does not possess that amount of liquid mid-grade stones in our vault. We have already sent a high-priority spiritual petition directly to the treasury chambers of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion’s inner peaks to mobilize the funds. However, before the shipment arrives, the sect administration has offered an exclusive proposition."
Ethan merely raised an eyebrow, maintaining his calm, indifferent expression. "Speak."
"The treasury wants to know your preference for the payout," the appraiser explained, gesturing toward the courtyard. "We can deliver the remaining balance entirely in bulk mid-grade stones, which would require several massive iron armored carriages to transport, or... we can offer you a premium alternative. The sect is willing to sell you an official, high-density Spatial Ring. The market cost is exactly 400,000 mid-grade spirit stones, and we can simply deduct the difference directly from your total payout, delivering the remaining balance into your hands inside the ring itself."
Ethan paused, his analytical mind evaluating the offer. In this world, trying to acquire a functional spatial storage device on the open market was an absolute, borderline impossible task for an independent cultivator. Spatial rings were aggressively regulated and strictly monitored by the major righteous sects and royal imperial courts; because they could easily hide a mountain of black-market goods, forbidden weapons, or illegal resources, they were primary tools for high-level smuggling.
"What is the internal volume of this specific ring?" Ethan asked flatly.
"It possesses an internal vacuum capacity of exactly 100 cubic meters," the appraiser replied immediately, a hint of professional pride in his voice. "It is a certified mid-grade spatial matrix. To be entirely transparent with you, Master Ethan, we do not stock any storage items more economical than this one. If you ever require a grandmaster-tier ring with an internal volume of 1,000 cubic meters, the cost escalates into several millions of mid-grade stones, and it must be custom-ordered from the grand capital with months of advance notice."
Ethan offered a subtle, satisfied nod. For his current needs, a hundred cubic meters of hidden space was more than sufficient to store his essentials without drawing unwanted attention from high-level old monsters.
"I will accept the ring and the deduction," Ethan decided smoothly. He then glanced back toward Mary and Roy, who were standing quietly in the background, before looking back at the counter. "However, my party is currently a bit short on loose cash for our daily expenses. Can you provide a small advance on the payout right now?"
"Of course! That is entirely within our authority," the outpost captain intervened warmly, eager to stay on the absolute best terms with a young monster of his caliber. "We can immediately grant you an advance of 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones. However, carrying ten thousand mid-grade rocks out the front door would be far too bulky and eye-catching. If you agree, we can exchange the volume for 90 high-grade spirit stones and 1,000 mid-grade spirit stones to keep your pouches light."
"That is perfectly acceptable," Ethan replied.
The captain instantly turned to his side, snapping his fingers sharply. "Assistant! Go to the secure primary vault immediately. Bring out the high-grade token chest and the heavy leather purse for Master Ethan."
As a young clerk scrambled frantically down the stone corridors to fulfill the order, the captain turned back to Ethan with a polite, reassuring smile. "The remaining balance of your compensation—exactly 428,936 mid-grade spirit stones, securely sealed inside your new 100-cubic-meter spatial ring—will be delivered from the inner peaks in approximately three days. That is just right before the grand admission evaluation begins. You can come directly to my desk to collect it without any bureaucracy. Regardless, the moment the treasury caravan touches down, I will personally dispatch an official sect courier to your residence to notify you."
The young clerk quickly returned, panting slightly as he carefully placed a small, beautifully lacquered mahogany chest and a heavy, reinforced leather purse onto the wooden counter.
"Everything is precisely accounted for, Master Ethan," the outpost captain said, gesturing toward the items with a polite bow. "Ninety high-grade spirit stones are sealed inside the secure chest, and the one thousand loose mid-grade stones are packed into the heavy purse."
"Thank you for your efficiency," Ethan said smoothly, bowing his head.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Ethan lifted the mahogany chest, tucking it effortlessly under his arm. Before Roy could even take a step forward to handle the remaining currency, Mary lunged forward like an apex hawk diving for its prey.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??